Lighting the platforms and steps of railroad-cars



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WINFIELD S. ROGERS, OF QOLUMBUS, OHIO.

LIGHTING THE PLATFORMS AND STEPS OF RAILROAD-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 238,969, dated March 15, 1881.

Application filed January27, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WINFIELD S. ROGERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Go lumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lighting the Platforms and Steps of Railway-Oars, 850.; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawing, and to the letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which forms a part of this specification.

This invention relates to devices for lighting the steps and platforms of railway-cars, and it has for its object the rendering of passengercars more easy and safer of access to passengers and others at night, and preventing, in a great measure, the risk attending the entering or leaving such cars at night, when the platforms and steps are but dimly lighted or not lighted at all.

My invention consists in providing at each end of a car a glass panel above the door, and arranging in the hood or roof above the platform and steps a mirror or other reflector to reflect the light from the lamps inside said car to the platform and steps thereof.

It further consists in providing, in connection with the. lamps ordinarily used, a magnifying-lens, whereby the light cast upon such reflector is greatly intensified.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawing as applied to a railway passenger-car.

In applying my invention to a railway-car I provide at each end of the car, and above the door thereof, a glass panel, A, arranged in a horizontal plane with the car-lampsB, so that the light from such lamps will be thrown through the panel A. In the hood of the roof, or in that portion of the roof which projects out over the platform and steps, I secure a mirror or other reflector, O, of suitable form, and arranged at such an angle with relation to the lamps B as to reflect the light from said lamps down onto the platform and steps of the car.

In order to intensify the light thrown upon the reflector O, for the purpose of more effectually lighting the platform and steps of the car, the lamps nearest the respective reflectors may be provided with magnifying-lenses D, as shown; or the glass panels may be so focused as to magnify or concentrate the rays of light from the lamps upon said reflector; or the that the rays of light may be thrown out to- I ward the sides of the car to light the steps thereof.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of a car provided with glass panels above the doors, the lamps inside the car, and reflectors outside the cars and above the platforms thereof.

2. The combination, substantially as before set forth, of a car provided with glass panels above the doors, the lamps inside the car, reflectors outside the car, and a lens or lenses interposed between the lamps and the reflectors'.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

W. S. ROGERS.

Witnesses-z EUGENE LANE, P. E. FLEGK. 

